Stroke care to improve (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Stroke care to improve

4:11pm Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

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AN injection that can save stroke victims from disability will soon be available in Winchester around the clock.

The thrombolysis jab can break up blood clots before they cause damage to the brain.

Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust’s board heard that it was already available in Winchester.

However, the jab is only suitable for about one in ten patients, and experts have to assess each case both quickly and closely.

At the moment, the hospital has staff qualified to use it on duty for the majority of the time.

However, there are some periods – night shifts at weekends for instance – when the jab might not be available in Winchester.

In such cases, patients would normally be taken to Southampton where there is already cover around the clock.

But that will also be the case in Winchester from next month (April) thanks to a change in staff shifts.

Board members heard that the hospital sees 300 stroke patients each year, of which around 30 might benefit from the jab.

The hospital also hopes to expand the care that it provides for victims of strokes.

It is hoping to create a specialist unit – possibly by refitting Twyford Ward – to help patients to recover. If the scheme goes ahead it is likely to cost £250,000.

The trust board, which last met on Wednesday, March 3, heard that strokes cause the third highest number of UK deaths. They are also the biggest cause of adult disability.